Sunday, June 28, 2009

The ‘business’ end of the summer porch isn’t quite anywhere ready for a public view. Give me another week of nice porch days willya?

It was a nice afternoon and evening yesterday and my friend TOS and I, tos, sat and knitted well into the night.

TOS and tos, what is that you wonder? We are two Sues, we are both Assessors here in Tolland and therefore are often confused at the town hall. We began referring to ourselves as “the other Sue” to have a bit of fun. TOS is also the Town Clerk. My sister and I do something similar – BSS and lss. She is the elder, and Sally; I am the younger and, well, you know my name.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Well, it appears that we, the animals and the house have survived the first week of summer babykidsitting. The babes were safely delivered back to the parents yesterday evening. We had cake with the birthday girl and then headed back from the flat lands of Windsor Locks to the hills of Tolland. The house is quiet this morning. There is cleaning to be done.

Last Saturday I took a quickie course in Steeking at Webs. The course was great, the instructor did a wonderful job of demonstrating and encouraging. I went with a nice tube of knitting, came home with it in pieces. I now understand the concept of steeking and look forward to a cutting session.

Whilst I was at Webs I wandered around looking for some deals. I found some wonderful Misty Alpaca in the warehouse and added three skeins of it to my stash. Details: Misty Alpaca Worsted weight, color Chartreuse Melange, 100 g 220 yd. I got three skeins just to put away for some small project. Probably should have gotten more as 660 yards won’t make much.

There was a collection box in the class room with directions for making a helmet liner and a plea for donations of helmet liners to the Vermont National Guard. Of course I grabbed a copy of the instructions and immediately shopped for some appropriate wool. I got two skeins of Valley Yarns Northampton worsted weight wool in black. I’ve wanted to knit a helmet liner for a while, but the instructions always seemed daunting. I followed some advice I was given several years ago, and just followed the directions line by line – piece-o-cake. I see at least one more in the offing.

When we met for WWKIP I took along some yarn from my stash to knit a Kangaroo sweater. Here it is, finished and ready to go into my ‘future’ gifts bag. Still needs a cute button though.

When I get bored with what I’m knitting, or just want something down-n-dirty to knit, I revert to cotton dish rags. The latest, which was a pain to knit, is receiving rave reviews from the wash-up crew. It’s the Morning Glory washcloth from the Lion Brand collection. It seems to be worth the extra effort.

The day is wasting away. I’ve got to see if the vacuum cleaner works, then pack my knitting for #Southwick knit-in and head out by noon.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

This post is indicative of how I live my days. Hoping from pillar to post, a little of this, a little of that.

Let’s start with the weather. The sun finally decided to grace us with its presence. It has arrived too late to heat the day however. We did laundry today, but we skipped the sheets. Those will wait for a day when the sun gets up with us. So, here we are, June 16 and look what is keeping us warm.

And, when there is a nice warm fire going there will surely be a dawg resting near.

Pooh is in her thirteenth year and seems to enjoy being olde. No more responsibilities. Let that damn cat scare the intruders away. Pooh is stone deaf, the intruder would have to make the floor vibrate before she would notice.

I thought I would share pictures of the buttercup cousins who live in our garden.

One is a common garden field variety and the other is the city cousin from the plant place. I like them both equally as well.

We had a fun time at our World Wide Knit in Public event. We held it at our usual Southwick Knit-in location, The Daily Grind. There was a Children’s event there at the same time.

It was such a nice day we settled in under the shade of a lovely white birch, right next to a Llama. What could have been more fitting?

As I was rushing around, trying to remember everything, I decided that I didn’t want to spend four or five hours knitting on my current project – a sock. I took a quick look at some patterns and found Wonderful Wallaby. We all know that I’ve got lots of yarn to choose from, don’t we? There, right under my nose were two full skeins of Bernat denimstyle in Weathered Rose. There were also four small balls which probably equaled a half-skein.

That was Saturday, it’s Tuesday afternoon and I’m at the neck opening on a size 2 wanda. It’s a fast knit, and the only problem so far is that I forgot to remember that the underarm stitches ‘should’ be taken off on yarn and not stitch holders. The stitch holders just make the next few rows more difficult to knit and cause the stitches at each end to stretch out. Make a note on pattern for next time. TADA

How do your tomatoes grow?

Note: objects taken close up look a lot larger than they actually are.

Friday, June 12, 2009

The garden is doing well, but the slugs are trying to beat me to the lettuce. I have most everything in pots, but the little slimy things have invaded anyway. I planted some lettuce starts in my one non-pot garden and it's all gone. I guess that next time himself is seen with a beer in his hand I’ll have to pour some off to feed/drown the slimy buggers.

My flower beds are doing well and the window boxes with impatients are beginning to fill in and look showy. All in all it has been a good spring for getting stuff going. Just enough rain, just enough sun, just enough warm [for the plants that is].

Wednesday card nite was a blast. There were six of us playing spite and malice. Two of the gals had played before but could not remember for the life of them how. It’s just a nice nite to have some fun, laugh at ourselves and not strain our brains too much.

The Ladies Aid project last night went well. We have to wait a week or so before we can ‘unpot’ out pots and see if they actually hold together. We all agreed though, that it mattered not. We had a great evening, fun was had by all and when it is all said and done, that is all that really matters.

I’m slowly working my way through the porch mess. We got the shelving up, and got some additional plastic boxes and I’ve been sorting, sorting, sorting. I took a bag of orphans to our Southwick knit in on Thursday and the girls claimed it all. I’ve got some more to take with me tomorrow when we have our WWKIP day event. I’ve gotten rid of all of the tail ends of sock yarn, and also some sock yarn that I had gotten for knitting for the grandkidz.

It has finally gotten through to me that I should not [ever] knit anything for my grandchildren but hats, scarves and mittens and I must use Encore WW yarn only. Any other knitting that I’ve done for them has been a waste of time, effort and money. A shame, but so it is and I have to accept it.

Tonight I found some lovely Tweedy Angora WW by Tahki Imports in my stash. This is from a froging project and I’ve listed it on Ravelry to be sold. It is real pretty yarn, and I have some white that goes with it. That will get listed next.

My problem with the cleaning project is that I have TUBS and TUBS of yarn, fabric, wool for rug hooking, wool flats, quilting projects etc, etc, etc. STUFF, just too much stuff.

What I envision for this room is one sewing machine set up [my high end sewing/embroidery], two knitting machines [4.5mm Studio 940 and 6.5mm Singer 150 plastic bed], a small work table for cutting and stuff, two rolling chairs and a wall of storage. I have a wonderful faux antique cabinet that my father-in-law made for me years ago, it holds all of the books, patterns, directions and punch cards and is at the sitting room end of the porch.

So, what to do with the fifteen tubs, the one milk crate of quilting books, and two crates of machine knitting magazines that are taking up valuable floor space and causing havoc with my plans? Do you detect a mental health problem here? Leave us not forget about the ‘collection’ of knitting machines that lives under the grandkidz bunk beds upstairs. YIKES! My husband is a saint.

We, himself and I, occasionally have heated short discussions about his workshop, the many, many pieces of wood he keeps, the many table saws, chop saws, hand saws, screws, nuts and bolts. It usually ends in a draw……………..

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Apparently my friends in CT got some nasty weather. We just got the aforementioned. Although sitting in front of the fire seemed to be a logical thing for a day like today, it was not to be.

Out Tolland Ladies Aid meeting is on Thursday afternoon and evening and we are to make hydrotufa pots. My brainy idea. It’s been nothing but Trouble, with a capital T. I won’t even try to get into the ways and whyfors, but today himself and I had to get our lazy selves down the hill to the lumber yard to pick up a sack of portland cement. We took three semi-large bins with us and the nice kid in the ‘yard’ split the bag into three manageable parts for me. Who knew that a sack of portland cement weights in at 96#?

Now, when you live where we do, you don’t go off the mountain without more than one purpose. Guess where I went?

The one of the last times I was at Webs I bought some yarn to make a bunny egg cozy from Little Cotton Rabbits Well, I bought the wrong yarn so needed to take care of that problem. Then when I went for the tent sale some sock yarn jumped into my basket. The price was mismarked in the computer and I had needed to go up there to get my credit.

While I was there I thought it would be a good idea to make good use of the spent mileage/gas money and get ready for another project. I’ve been looking at lace. Yes, lace. Not for me particularly, but I think I can find someone who will be pleased to have a lace shawl or such knitted for her. I knew that I could easily get the yarn and project sheet back into the car without being caught as I had the bag I went into the store with. Sneaky eh? [notice my Canadian accent!]

I bought two patterns, both by Evelyn Clark for Fiber Trends. One, Field of Flowers, a square shawl or throw. The other, Estonian Garden, a scarf or wrap. I also purchased three skeins of Misti Alpaca lace weight in Blue Mist. This yarn is one of Steve’s warehouse sale items. It is oh so soft and I am looking forward to getting it on my needles. I would encourage you to take a long hard look at it and think about adding some to your stash right away.

Fiber Trends S-2004 Field of Flowers

Fiber Trends S-2009 Estonian Garden

On the way back down through Springfield we thought we should stop at the liquor warehouse store and stock up some more, just in case the threatened liquor, wine, and beer tax becomes a reality soon. Ever had Yukon Jack? It was billed as the Black Sheep of Canadian Whisky. In the US it’s 100 proof, a honey laced whisky.

When we got home I heated up my rice bag, put some Jack over ice and had a bit of a nap. Fire is still going, supper is now done and I am heading back to the chair by the fire with another cuppa and my knitting.

It seems that everyone is showing off their gardens these days. I’m real proud of mine, so will jump on that bandwagon.

We live in the rocky Berkshire foothills. Our cash crop is often called Tolland potatoes, a/k/a rocks. I’ve amended my gardens with so much tree chipping mulch that our son in law won’t visit any more if he thinks I’ve gotten my hands on another truck load.

The trick to gardens, or so I was told by a lady whose flowers were spectacular, is Chicken Gicken from the Otis Poultry Farm Store. I’m not really sure how to spell that, but can stand behind the product. It takes a year or two to work, but when it does, watch out.

A photographer I am not – here is what’s blooming today.

I just love Columbine for the way it self-seeds. I’m surprised that some that I would have thought were hybreds have seeded pretty true.

These wild Geraniums are another prolific seeder. They also spread wonderfully.

Of course, there is always the weed that wants to add to the color

These yellow Iris are yet another from my mom’s gardens

Our grandchildren just love the song from the Fifties, Rockin Robin. When I found this along the wayside I just had to have one for the garden. They seem to like the barren roadside better then my chicken shit laced rotted tree mulch.

Some more Iris, a Clemetis that I though was a goner, and even a couple of plants that I cannot remember the name of, imagine that.

If getting our soil up to snuff for flowers is a trick, finding enough sun for vegetables is a real problem. I’ve tried several different ideas over the years and failed each year. I decided that this year I would not fail, and it looks like I’m right [so far anyway]. I have four tomato plants in pots, lettuce plants, musclun lettuce, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill and cilantro all growing happily in pots on our front walkway. That seems to be the only place where there is consistent sun. We can thank the winter ice storm for some of that sun………. I’ve also got a few tomato plants planted in the ground not far away where they seem to get enough sun to be happy

Notice all of the walls built out of Tolland potatoes……

We’ve already had fresh lettuce salad a couple of times and it’s been heavenly.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you feel about the job ahead of you today? Oh, just about a 25.

We got the shelving up yesterday, so today I will begin with the chore of sorting my stuff. I thought that I have lots of plastic boxes to put stuff into, but they must be buried somewhere in the mess. Onward!

When I was a child, my grandparents lived with us. Doc, my grandpa died when I was about seven. Nonny died in 1954 when I was 12. Mom followed her the next year. What happened to their stuff?

I remember only one thing and that was a white cotton crocheted coverlet that was stashed in a closet in Nonny’s room. I wonder where it went, and what happened to all of her knitting and sewing stuff. I seriously doubt that there was a stash, but there were tools and books and other stuff. Gone, all gone.

I picture what will happen to my stash, my knitting machines, my sewing machines, my rug hooking tools. Most of it will probably end up in a large dumpster, along with all of my genealogy research paperwork. I know it, I just know it.

So, I guess that what we pass on, because they cannot be put into the dumpster, are memories.

I remember Nonny knitting a twin set for my sister. The yarn was a bit bumpy, a beautiful coral color. I had probably stood still for what seemed like forever, holding the yarn hanks on outstretched arms while Nonny wound the balls of yarn. Funny, I never remember the finished sweaters. Did they have UFO’s back in the forties and fifties do you think?

I remember Mom sewing a dress for me. It was Indian Head cotton, I think it was green, kinda a south pacific sea green. She sewed rows and rows of lace to the inside of the bodice to give me my first ‘shape’.

I remember gardens, and cooking, and doing dishes with my sister, making soap suds galore with the egg beater. I remember eating fresh peas, right out of the garden with lots of butter.

I have my memories, and lots of perennials that I took from the old house and have transplanted from my first house to here. I also have a stainless steel cabbage slicer.